New Catrice Launches

After my last post on the new additions to the Essence family here, I was surprised to see a whole bunch of new Catrice items had graced the shelves as well. It’s no secret that both brands are owned by the same company, with Catrice being like the bigger sister of the two. The Essence target market are younger girls still in school while Catrice is designed for women. Now, as there are no rules in makeup, it doesn’t mean that only a certain aged girl/woman can buy from a certain brand. What I was disappointed in was the fact that they introduced a few similar products to each range and that in turn left me confused as to which one I should try. Here are a couple of the products I’m referring to:

As you can see the packaging is different with a few variations of the shades. Also the Catrice products are just an inch more expensive than the Essence ones. I haven’t checked to see whether the ingredients are exactly the same but going forward, as it has been so far, the plan is just to go for which packaging and shade I like the best.

Ok so on to the products and swatches. A few of the products were surprisingly disappointing for various reasons but I’ll get into that for each one.

Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick – R69.95

I’ll start with my favourite first. The Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipsticks are very creamy and moisturising on the lips. They aren’t as long wearing as matte lipsticks but I get a good 3-4 hours wear out of these if I’m not eating or drinking anything. There are 3 new shades that have been added to the range.

Catrice Blush Artist Shading Palette – R79.95

These blush palettes were a flat out dud for me. The concept is great, having both matte and shimmer blushes in a single palette and then the lightest shade in each palette (far right), which is meant to be used as either a highlighter or blush topper after the other shades are applied. The colour payoff isn’t great and not what I expected since the Catrice Defining Blushes that I reviewed here are some of my favourite blushes due to their pigmentation and ease of blendability. These unfortunately were chalky, difficult to build (I practically pressed the colour to get these swatches to show up) and not long lasting at all.

CoAll I Need (left) Rock’n’Roses (right)

Catrice Prime & Fine Beautifying Primer – R79-95

Catrice primers are another product they keep impressing me with and this one is no different. It is thinner in consistency than the smoothing primer and does not fill in larger pores as well but it has a rosy undertone and the light reflecting pearls illuminate the face making the skin look younger and less dull. If you have great skin and no blemishes, I’d recommend this without any foundation and since it is long-lasting, you’ll be looking glowy throughout the day. I did a full review on the other variations here if you have other skin concerns.

Catrice AllRound Contouring Palette – R69.95

As I’ve said before, I’m not really a fan of cream contouring because it is just an extra step in the process which you have to set with a powder anyways. Having said that though, I’m actually quite in love with this palette. Well, with one shade in particular. The furthermost left shade is the perfect balance of grey and brown to chisel down my koeksister nose to a half-decent schnoz. I use just a little bit on a concealer brush to mark where I want my nose contour to sit and ever so lightly blend it out using my fingers before setting my entire face with powder. Because its so pigmented, it kinda shows through and I don’t need to use a separate contour powder to define my nose. The rest of the shades are creamy and not too thick, melt into the skin when using a beautyblender and is not cakey or drying at all. If you’re a fan of cream contouring and highlighting you can save your money and pick this baby up at a fraction of the price.

Catrice Highlighting Eyeshadow – R49.95

This is more for people who don’t already have a highlighting shade in one of their palettes or who want to depot it into a zpalette or makeup kit. This shade is no doubt the perfect inner corner colour to lift the eye and give it the wide awake look but if you already have a similar colour I’d say give it a skip.

All three swatches of the same shade

Catrice High Glow Mineral Highlighting Powder – R89.95

Another product I’m kinda on the fence about. I’m a highlighter freak and there was nothing about this highlighter that I haven’t seen before. It’s a nice shade with shimmer particles, not large glitter chunks, so it blends easily giving the skin a beautiful glow. It’s long wearing and easily buildable for a strong highlight if you’d like. It’s a soft champagne with neutral undertones so it will suit many skin colours. It reminds me a lot of The Balm’s Mary Lou Manizer which I reviewed here but that has more of a yellow-gold undertone to it. If you’re looking for a budget friendly highlight I’d definitely recommend this but as far as how often I’ll be using it, well that’s something else entirely.

Catrice Eye’Matic Eyepowder Pen – R69.95

These eyeshadow pens are great for on the go. If you want an all over lid shade in a jiffy, then this ones for you. You unscrew the cap to reveal a soft-pointed sponge that transfers the shadow on to the lid. In just a few swipes it is fully opaque and you can use the same tip to blend out the edges softly. The shadows have a decent wear time at around 6-7 hours before fading. At the moment there are only shimmery shades available but I hope Catrice bring out a few matte ones because these pens would make life on the go so much easier.

These are a few more products from the new range I’d still like to try out.

Catrice Velvet Brow Powder Artist

Catrice Sand Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

Catrice Smokey Matt Powder Liner

The Catrice brow pencil that I reviewed here is a staple in my everyday travelling makeup bag and the other Catrice eyeshadow palettes I reviewed here were pretty good as well.

As affordable and budget friendly as Catrice and Essence is, they’re still killing my wallet with all these amazing products they’ve just released. I know a lot of stores are still awaiting stock on certain items but they are part of the permanent Catrice range as well so you’ll get your hands on it sooner or later.

Hope you enjoyed this post. Did anything catch your eye? What are you most excited about?